We are continuing our look at how to focus our thoughts on things above. This daily devotional looks at love, desire, hope, and joy.
Nuggets
- In order to successfully complete the greatest commandment, we have to set our love on God above.
- Our motives must be based on serving Christ until we are called home.
- Setting our affections on things above culminates in our being called home to Heaven.
- Joy from above only comes when we are seeking God.
To read devotions in the Redo for Godliness series, click the appropriate button below.
Devotions in the On Things Above series
Beveridge, in his sermon Setting the Affections on Things Above, talked about four areas where we are to focus on things above. That is love, desire, hope, and joy.
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Let's Put It into Context #1
Here is a running list of what we’ve discussed previously.
Let's Put It into Context #2
When we look up the definition of affection in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it says, “the state of being affected.” Affect means “to act on and cause a change in (someone or something).”
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Love from Above
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deut. 6: 5 CSB)
In order to successfully complete the greatest commandment, we have to set our love on God above.
We have talked about this verse several times. But let’s look at it through the lens of setting our thoughts on things above.
Deuteronomy is a book where God’s law were restated. However, Jesus said that this is the gospel message in a nutshell, as it is the greatest commandment.
Verse Commentary
Glossary
Our relationship with God begins with the realization that God can be our Father. As we learn of Him, we learn of His character through His laws.
We are told that — with everything in us — we are to love God alone. Home wrote, “It is pure, grateful, strong, affectionate, fervent, and reverent; specifically different from all earthly affection.”
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Vaughan reminded us that God is asking for our love. He always allows us the choice of whether we are going to love him or not.
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The direction is upward to God. “If you love me, obey my commandments” (Jn. 14: 15 NLT).
If we are to obey God’s commandments, what obligations do we have? Love contended that the source was from the “… excellences of the Godhead …”
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One thing we have to remind worldview people is they are not to follow disciples and how they interpret how we love. We are all called to love as is prescribed in God’s laws.
Desire from Above
“I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Phil. 1: 23 NIV)
Our motives must be based on serving Christ until we are called home.
Paul had a dilemma. He liked living in this world, but he really wanted to live with God and Jesus.
Sibbes defined desire as “… anything set before the soul having a magnetical force to draw out the motives thereof … even though for the present the soul desires it not.”
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Paul had just said “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1: 21 ESV). He knew that he would be perfected in Heaven.
- The perfected state indicates the combination of the spiritual graces which, when all are present, form spiritual wholeness or completeness.
- Spiritual graces are worldly morals that have been submitted to God to further His kingdom instead of enhancing this world. It means we have become as Jesus is.
This world was not kind to Paul. Second Corinthians 11: 21-27 give us this list of what all he endured.
Still, Paul gave every impression that he enjoyed being God’s missionary. Compassion oozed out of him. He wouldn’t have been the Energizer Bunny for God if he didn’t enjoy his work.
Paul knew, if people were going to hear the good news, he was the one who was going to have to tell them. That was his job.
Still, Paul knew Heaven is the end game. That is the prize for which we are striving.
Bottom line, Paul was ready for whatever God had in his plan. Live or die. Live comfortably or die horribly.
Paul desired what God desired.
Arnot stressed that we need a balance between the two. He wrote, “To depart was far better. To stay was more needful.”
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Spurgeon contended that Paul had that balance. He called Paul conscientious and logical.
On top of that, Paul believed with every fiber of his being that Heaven awaited his arrival. This wasn’t because of anything he did. It was because Christ had sacrificed His life to restore his relationships with Father God.
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We need to believe as Paul did.
Hope from Above
“We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5: 2 CSB)
Setting our affections on things above culminates in our being called home to Heaven.
I know. We are talking about hope again. Hope is a future expectation, called a living hope, based on the confidence that our names will be found in the book of life.
I know. Here we are taking about glory again, too. Glory expresses the splendor representing the attributes of God resulting from the authority of God.
Let’s see what we can add to the discussion.
- God’s glory is an eternal mystery that is hidden in the Father.
- We are given glimpses in the Scriptures.
- His glory is referred to as the splendor with which He is clothed.
- It is a triumphant display of His attributes.
- It is a display of His perfections.
- We will see His glory when we are elevated to Him.
- God’s glory is incomprehensible because it is overwhelming.
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Because of Christ’s atonement, we have hope to inherit that which God has for us. Atonement is about repayment for a wrong. The repayment was the shedding of His blood.
Hope in His glory is part of our inheritance. That will only happen after judgment day. That will only happen in Heaven.
To reach Heaven, we must set our affections on things above. Focusing on this world will not gain us Heaven.
Adams wrote, “The glory of God’s kingdom is to be ours in a sense vastly higher than anything we are said to possess in the present life.” This is the concept again of God elevating us to Him, not Him coming down to our level.
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Glossary
God’s priority is the condition of our souls. We must set our affections to ensure our soul is in His condition.
Joy from Above
“Though you have not seen him, you love him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy” (I Pet. 1: 8 CSB)
Joy from above only comes when we are seeking God.
Maclaren wrote, “The act of faith is the condition of joy. Joy springs from the contemplation or experience of something calculated to excite it, and the more real, permanent, and all-sufficient that object the fuller and surer the joy.”
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The way I read that is that joy is a product of our faith. Faith = Joy. No Faith = No Joy.
Let’s say it this way. Faith promotes the circumstances that create joy.
But it isn’t faith for this lifetime. It is faith at our Savior and Lord will bring us home to be with Sovereign God when it is the fullness of His time.
Jay disagreed. He felt Joy was only experienced in this earthly world. He contended that Joy was a duty and a privilege.
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Our joy comes from God.
Making the Connections
Heaven is because Jesus is. We should want it based solely on it means our being with Christ.
Spurgeon wrote this about our glory. He wrote, “The fulness of our glory is the resurrection.”
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The most important thing is being with Christ. We do that when we have set our affections on heavenly heads.
How Do We Apply This?
- Make sure we give glory and honor to God.
- Keep our arrogance in check because He is perfect and we are far from being perfect.
- Make Be holy, because I am holy (I Pet. 1: 16 CSB) our standard.
- Work to do the good to which God has called us.
- Possess the living hope of spending eternity with Christ.
- Humbly rest on Him to grow our faith.
Father God. We look to You for love, desire, hope, and joy. We want to have Your character. Amen.
What do you think?
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